Sad Day.....BTW WHERE ARE YOU MALENNA??

I don't know what happened to Malenna in these posts.....

Now I am 5 weeks away from my first competition. I changed the date to October 15 so I could do both of my shows in Houston. One thing I have learned is not to listen to so many people....I have gotten the opinion of too many people and I think it has offset me from my progress.
I changed how I did cardio and it hurt me....I went to my nutritionist today and found out that I only lost 1% body fat these past 2 weeks..... :(

I mean 1% is still progress but I shouldve kept true to what was working for me. Also another thing I have learned is that even if someone has experience in something....doesn't mean they have great knowledge.....

I have been taking posing lessons from this lady who shall remain nameless.....she is cool but I dont like the posing that I am doing....so now I am in this middle spot....I'm paying her but also I feel like what she is teaching me isn't right....so now it's a battle about what to do....

We will see.....
I'm getting nervous especially since I won't be at the bodyfat percentage I want to be but this is all an experience.....I just wanted to look great...which I already do....I'm not trying to turn pro....this is just for fun....

Bound and Determined!!!!

Hello!!!

So I am down to 18% body fat. So I have about 7 weeks and some days left.....Goal is 10% body fat.

Trying to work hardest on my back...it needs work. But I will get there.

Workout today:

30 mins cardio

Lat pulldown

cable rows

pull-ups

lateral and front raises

delt raises

Tada....here are those muffins!

Protein Banana Nut Muffins

12 egg whites
2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal
2/3 cup Kashi Go Lean high fiber cereal
2 small ripe bananas
6 tbsp low or no sugar Apricot jam (I actually use grape and use only 2 tbsp)
Dash of vanilla extract
Cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 oz raw chopped pecans
6 packages of splenda, truvia
Pam cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a blender mix the egg whites, oatmeal, bananas, jam, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, splenda and cinnamon. Once batter is ready, fold the Kashi Go lean high fiber cereal in the batter. Spray muffin tins with Pam spray and pour mixture into muffin tins. Top each muffin with chopped pecans. Bake for 30 mins.
Serving size for women: 3 regular sized muffins
Serving size for men: 5 regular sized muffins
Cal: 462/Fat: 8 gm/ Chol: 0/ Pro: 19gm/ Carb 79 gm/ %Fat=16

I personally have started using this as a pre-workout snack because when I was drinking my protein shakes...I would feel sick (weak, tired and shaky) after my workout and my nutritionist said my whey protein wasn't sustaining me. I have switched to these and it has helped ALOT!

RECIPE PLEASE Kimberly!

Can we get the recipe for the tasty looking protein muffins????  I think I could definitely add it to my regiment. :) You have the nutritional info on them too?

BREAKFAST

Natural Flax Seed Bread
Egg whites 4 oz
Chicken Sausage

Grapefruit

I was up until 2AM and woke up at 4AM today.... I have a client at 730AM and a bootcamp at 1030AM - Noon..It's going to be a doozy.

Getting over the hump....

Breakfast
Chicken Sausage
Egg whites
Multi Grain Bread

Protein shake


WORKOUT
Elevated pushups 4x20

Military Press 3x16 (50lb,45lb)

4x20
Arnolds 20 lbs
Rear Delt Static Hold 30 lbs
BB front raise on one leg 20lbs
Rear delt DB row to armpit 22.5

BB Upright row 30 lbs 3x15
Cable pulls down to start 20 lbs 3x15

Hang clean and press30lbs 3x15
Pull ups assisted 3x10
Dips 3x15
Lunch
Steak
Mixed Vegetables in garlic


Protein shake

Dinner
Tilapia
Brocolli

Update

So I went to my nutritionist yesterday. I am down to 20% BF. YAY!!!! I started at 28% BF July 6, 2011.

Goals:

Competition date- 10/22/2011

BF%- 10-12%

Reduce my fat pounds from 25.45 to 15 lbs

Increase my lean body mass from 100.54 to 105

Got 9 weeks to go....hopefully I am ready! I didn't plan on that date but that will be a bigger show in Dallas.

What you see to your right is my wonderful protein muffins.... I love them so much. Just showing you something I eat almost everyday. I love them so much...I couldn't even wait for them to cool down before I had some. lol.

This is the deal....

YAY Kim! Welcome!
So, I'll give our viewers a brief explanation of what's going on...Kim and I are competing in fitness competitions in the next few weeks...Kim in Houston, and myself here in NYC.  We are bi-coastal baby! We want to share our experiences with each other and with you! So , I'll start with a brief rundown of personal stats about me...Kim will do the same so you can get to know us!

Name  Malenna Saunders (I am on the right!)
Location - Tri State Area , East Coast
Competition Experience - this will be my second
Competition Goal - NY Championships Oct 29th
Time to competition - 10 weeks (and some change) out
Divisions - Bikini and Model
Stats - 5'6", 147lbs, 21% BF
GOAL - 135lbs, 12-15% BF

MEALS/WORKOUTS

Breakfast

Grapefruit

Natural Flax Bread
Egg Whites
Chicken Sausage

Mid morning snack
1 oz of cashews

WORKOUT
Cardio - Stair master intervals 25 minutes

Jump squats with a bodybar 4x20
One legged Bridges with 25lb plate 4x15
Jump rope 1 minute x 3

Pull ups assisted (6) 3x10
Dips unassisted 3x15
One legged step ups with 35lb DB 3x15

Hanging Knee raises 2x20
60 lb BB deadlift 3x20
Sumo Squat 60 lb DB 3x20

LUNCH
Cosi Salad ...sigh. Couldn't pack the lunch. At least it was a salad.
GREEK and it was in my online log. 236 calories without the dressing. muuuuhahahahaha.

SNACK
Protein Shake - Protein, 1 tbsp almond butter, half a banana

DINNER
Bison
Bok Choy
Brown Rice

First time for everything

Hey my name is Kim. I'm new here to this blog. Guess I figured ya'll might care about my life too. LOL. Want to thank Malenna for inviting me. But this is my very first time blogging....so please excuse my inexperience. Alright....I will be back later......

11 weeks out...

Here I am again preparing for another competition. I was supposed to do one in July but my plethora of lame excuses has me blogging today about my second competition still. No excuses. So I read a post today that stated 


‎"We are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good." -Vince Lombardi


Not remotely interested....Let's get it!


Breakfast - 
Natural flax bread
Egg whites 
Natural Chicken Sausage


WORKOUT


Chin ups 4x10 (30lbs assisted)
Military Press 3x16 (40lbs,50lbs)


Elevated Push ups 4x20
Bridges 4x25


4x20
Arnold Press (20lbs)
Rear Delt Static Hold (1 minute)
BB Front raise on one leg (30lbs)
Rear delt DB row (22.5lbs)


BB Upright Row (3x30)
Ab extensions/Bicycles


LUNCH
Bok Choy
Brown Rice
Bison

You know, it doesn't matter how small of a plate I use...it still looks like a little bit of food..That's why I take closeups.... :)

Three weeks ago, I was fired...

And I haven't been writing as I should. It has been a rough three weeks.  The idea of competing has not been on the forefront of my mind let alone telling the world what I am eating for breakfast. As I sat and sulked within one tumultuous event after another, I realized there were things going on around me with other people and their lives as well. 

• Another friend was fired last week
• A friend witnessed a man being crushed by a train
• A friend just lost her father
• A friend had a sick mother with eye problems which has recently been diagnosed as cancer

It made me wonder, first off, why I was being such a baby.  My problems did not seem to measure up at all to the issues others were encountering. Then it also made me wonder what I was supposed to get from this and how I was supposed to serve as a support to my friends, if I couldn't be that to myself.

So, I think I'm over it.  Quote of the day: " The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage."

What's for breakfast:

4 oz egg whites

2 oz chicken

1/2 C broccoli

We have a shoot in 3 days....We have a show in 3 weeks...Let's be about the business of victories.

A new day...No Excuses

Motivation of the day:

“A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn’t will find an excuse.”

Sometimes, you just get tired of the constant 'struggle' and hearing that 'everything will be ok' and 'joy cometh in the morning' lol. Really?
I don't expect things to always be easy, but I wouldn't mind if it weren't so difficult on occassion. I guess it's a matter of perspective. Everyone has some level of difficult in their life. It's a matter of how we migrate through those difficulties that determines if we come out on top.  With a little more than 4 weeks to the next projected show, I wonder if this is something I should really try to push to do. I feel tired.  We'll see. July 16th is the date of the show....

Breakfast. Protein, veggie, good fat, and starch. All I am missing is my fruit and the grocery delivery should be here shortly with my grapefruit....

1 tsp olive oil
4 oz egg whites
1/2 C broccolli
1/4 C quinoa

Bfast, Lunch and workouts

Weigh In - 143




2 C uncooked spinach
4 oz egg whites
garlic
4 mushrooms
1 oz fat free feta
2 slices whole wheat toast


Workout

Warm Up - 1 Mi Run 7.32 min mile

BACK and BI's

Chin ups

DB Bent over Rows - heavy!
BB bicep curl (straight bar)

Narrow grip seated cable rows
BB wide bend over rows

Lat pull down wide reverse grip
Rope hammer curls

High cable bicep curls
Alt. Bicep DB curls

Cool Down - 1 Mi Run 7.35 min mi

POST WORKOUT

Whey protein shake with banana and flax oil

BOOTCAMP 1030-12

LUNCH

Turkey burger
2 slices wheat bread
cucumbers
3 oz cashews

SNACK
Banana and 1 tbsp natural peanut butter

Back on that grind....

It's back to the workout and eating regiment....the 'break' is over...

7:30 Greek yogurt and half a grapefruit
9:45 1 oz almonds
12:00 4 oz chicken, 1/4 c quinoa, celery, 1 tsp flax oil
2:00 Protein Shake (chocolate whey, banana, peanut butter, L-Glutamine, BCAAs)
4:00 4 oz chicken, sweet potato, cucumber, 1/2 grapefruit, Ezekiel Bread
8:00 1.5 oz almonds
9:15 4 oz tilapia, cucumber

MY WORKOUT
Run 1.1 Mi 9 minutes

OH plate raises 3x15
Mountain Climbers 3x20
Tricep pushups on stability ball 3x15
Active Rest - Jumping Rope 60s

Tricep Dips 3x20
DB OH Extension 3x15
Reverse grip tricep Pressdown 3x15
Active rest - Jumping rope 60s

DB Push Press 3xFailure
Bent over raise 3x15
1 arm lateral raise 3x15
body rows 3xFailure

OUT DOOR BOOTCAMP TODAY

I went...I walked...I didn't fall down

When I started this blog, it was to walk us through a journey to a competition of which I had never been..I did not blog near as much as I should have and 3 weeks later, the event has come and gone. It was a stressful journey but I made it through my first competition in one piece...Let's give a brief recap of how far we've come..

Dec 2010...

Weigh In 162

Waist 31

Hips 40.75

April 24 2011

Weigh In 143
Waist 27
Hips 35

Competition Day
Weigh In 138

So did I win? Nope...I did not place. Does my journey stop here? Nope. Next competition, in July. What did we learn from this experience?

• When you do not show up on stage for your event, you don't receive a score
• Always bring an extra pair of clear heeled shoes 
• Just because you are in a casino does NOT mean you can find a deck of cards
• Johnny Rockets does not make the best brownies
• No matter how slow you think you're walking, you're probably going too fast

But it was fun...I even have a short video to share...We are going to try this again but next time, we need to come home with a trophy...So..July 16th..We are 10 1/2 weeks out...operation Trophy has started....

Enjoy the show...

I'm working on it...

3 and a half weeks out....

Ok the other day..what did I say I needed to accomplish?

LOSE at least 5 pounds. My ideal is 135. So I weighed in this morning at 143.4.....at least we're going in the right direction...

Obtain a suit for the competition Yeah, so I spoke to a seamstress today that is located on Long Island. Super stoked about that. We are looking at 3.5 bones for this suit but hopefully we will all be satisfied with the final product.  Either way,it's great she is able to accomodate for me so last minute. I was blessed to be able to reach out to her....I asked her for a posing recommendation...

Which she provided...We may get to meet up as early as SATURDAY!!! ..  AND this person does makeup and hair... : o  TRIPLE BONUS.

Get beautified for the competition

Prepare for styling for the competition...Did I mention we wear 4 inch heels on a stage in a bathing suit?

Tanning...Oh so glad I'm bloggin about this..I need to order my tanning creams...

Yesterday's Log - BACK , Bi's and ABS

WORKOUT

Pull ups 5 sets

Bent over Barbell rows
Alternating bicep curls on an incline

Underhand Lat Pulldowns
Hammer Curls

Wide seated rows Low
Rear Delt Flyes

Elevated straight leg raises

Glute and Back Day...

WORKOUT

Warm up -Jump Rope

Sumo Squats with a dumbbell

Ham curls on a stability ball

Good Mornings

Pull Ups

Lateral Lunges with dumbbell touches

Step ups on a bench with dumbbell

One legged curtsys off a bench with a dumbbell

Close grip cable rows

Bent over barbell rows

Box Jumps

Wide legged Mountain Climbers

Tricep Push ups

Pull ups close grip

FOOD LOG

600 egg whites with spinach and ezekiel bread
900 1.5 oz nuts
1000 greek yogurt
1230 chicken, couscous
230 spinach salad, grilled chicken, tomatoes
600 greek yogurt

830 Pan seared salmon, steamed zuchini, squash and peppers

I'm catching you up...

Weigh in...144.6


MONDAY LOG (4/10/2011)

Workout (MORNING)

CHEST and TRIs

3 way pushups 

Divebombers

Incline Bench Press

Hanging Dips

Tricep Extension with Rope

Incline Cable flys

Plyo Push Ups

Dumbbell chest press

WOrkout (Evening)

HIIT (high intensity training) 50 minutes

FOOD

430 AM Apple, yogurt
700 AM Chicken, quinioa
900 AM egg whites and veggies
1130 AM asparagus, sweet potatoes, chicken
200 PM chicken,asparagus, quinoia
600 PM 1.5 oz nut mix (almonds, dried cranberries, and cashews)
730 PM 4 oz hanger steak, salad
900 PM greek yogurt

Oh, so you when you blog you actually have to type stuff?

How about I promise not to blog only once a week if you promise to follow me?  You probably need something to actually follow..YES?
So let's get this thing cranking.

I've always been a fitness and workout fanatic since I was a teenager. I've just recently, within the past 5 years, gone into the realm on fitness and training on my own outside of a gym and I love it. I love to compete and thought this would be a fun thing to prepare for while getting in shape.  These people's bodies look amazing, so hopefully, this will be an adjective used to describe my physique in the super near future.  I have been 'training' since November.  My earliest stats are from Dec 15th. (I can't believe I'm posting my weight on the internet)


Date Weight (pounds) Arm (inches) Arm Flexed Waist (inches) Waist (at bellybutton) Hips (inches) Thigh Calf
12/15/2010 162.0 12.000 12.500 31.000 33.400 40.750 22.750 16.500

So my latest stats are below:


4/10/2011 144.0 11.000 12.250 27.000 29.000 35.500 20.500 15.250

In about 4 months I've dropped 18 pounds and roughly 19 inches all the way around. Not too bad....I need to get below 140.

THIS MORNING...

I had an egg white scramble with spinach and two slices of ezekiel bread. What is that? OOOOH it's a wheat free version of bread.  I have a blog on the phoenyxfitness site (www.phoenyxfitness.com) I'll post some info on that later this week.

My daily packing makes my refrigerator look like this.... whole new meaning to Sunday cooking.....

So here we go full throttle....In less than three weeks, I need to

LOSE at least 5 pounds. My ideal is 135.
Obtain a suit for the competition
Get beautified for the competition
Prepare for styling for the competition...Did I mention we wear 4 inch heels on a stage in a bathing suit?
Tanning...yes...sigh....SPRAY tan

All this while working and training, and sleeping..sometimes...

3 weeks and 6 days out

This is my first post just a preliminary 'hey this is me, and thanks for following my blog' post... Let me know what you think , what I can change, what looks good, etc.  I'm ready to get this started....sort of. Just a little nervous...But hey, that's why you're here right? *timid smile*. Help me out.  It's less than a month to showtime...Thanks for being a part of the madness....More to follow...